History Repeats Itself
by broken-inside-x
Summary: Once again Stevie finds herself at a drugs raid.
1. Chapter 1

"Ready guys?"

They were standing outside the latest of SunHill's crack dens thanks to a tip off from a suspect being held in custody, although he hadn't made it easy for them. It had been like drawing blood from a stone getting him to give up his dealer. They'd been briefed back at the station, both uniform and CID due to it being a joint operation. According to this kid there was a large amount of cocaine in the house which had been emptied months ago due to impending demolition.

"There are only two exits to the building so Smithy, if you take your team round the back and Jo take your team in through the front" Neil Manson shouted, his voice clearly audible above the crackling of radio's and the rustle of stab vests which CID had donned as well.

Max, as always, looked absolutely bored. He obviously didn't feel the need to listen to what the DI had to say, too arrogant to listen to the dangers of walking into a crack house un-armed. Carter was hated in both CID and uniform, no-one knew how Stevie put up with her fellow DS but she seemed to have managed to form some kind of weird friendship with him. The small blond was currently standing in between Jo and Mickey. She looked smaller next to the tall frame of Jo Masters but the whole of SunHill station knew that she made up for it. She'd nicked enough drunken thugs to warn the whole station she was to be avoided at all costs when she was on one of her rampages, which were usually aimed at her obnoxious partner, Carter.

Next to her, Mickey nudged her in the side, subtly pointing out Max's wandering eyes as he checked out the newest member of the SunHill police force, Kirsty Knight. The pair laughed silently as Neil also noticed Max's roving eyes. The pair of them were like mischievous school kids when they were together, often turning CID into a playground. It had only been this morning when Mickey had been placing bets in who Neils date had been last night. He'd turned up to work an hour late with the largest grin to have ever been seen on Neil Manson's face, Mickey had reasoned it could only be the work of a woman. Terry had bet on it being Grace Dasari who been in court with Banksy this morning instead of in the office, Stevie had almost immediately started texting her, determined to get the gossip.

"Somewhere else you'd rather be DS Carter?" Neil's voice commanded authority, making it nearly impossible to ignore the fact he could fire any one of his team.

"Inside with the rest of his fellow crackheads" Mickey could be heard whispering to Stevie who in turn failed to smother the chuckle that escaped her mouth, earning her a glare from the DI, this morning's smile had now vanished and had been replaced with a look so deadly that most of CID would have dropped on the spot, had looks been able to kill of course.

"Course not Guv" Max answered back through gritted teeth, giving Stevie and Mickey his own glare, though the two had already learned their lesson and were now focused soley on the instructions the DI was giving.

"PCs Gayle and Knight, DS Moss and DC Webb go with Inspector Smith round the back. PCs Taylor, Roberts and Valentine will go through the front witn Sergeant Masters, DS Carter and myself will follow. Be careful guys, beware of needles especially." Stevie seemed to freeze at the mention of needles, Neil was aware of Mickey's hand which had gripped hers in comfort. She, of all people, knew the danger of entering a crack den. She'd been there when DS Stuart Turner had found himself with a needle stuck in his neck and she'd stayed with him through the next few months, in the hospital when he had the tests and then again when he got the good news but always feeling guilty that she hadn't been able to stop it. The whole of CID knew that she'd never really believe Stuart when he said it wasn't her fault. "DS Moss? Stevie? You OK to go in?" Neil's gentle side seem to shine through as he spoke to the small blond, lowering his voice so that only Jo, Mickey and Smithy, who was standing ready to get into position, heard.

"Course Guv." She smiled brightly up at him, almost too brightly. Yet they all fell for the fake smile, Neil gave the go ahead to assume positions and the team split up, only Smithy seemed to have his doubts though as he raised his eyebrow at her in question, no words needed to tell her that he wasn't falling for the act.

"Don't even think of pulling rank on me Smithy" she quipped as she passed him, already heading for the back of the house.

**OK, so i know i haven't updated any of my other stories in a while but this idea wouldn't leave me alone! And yes, it os another Stevie/Smithy fic however i wanted to kind of add the friednships with Mickey and Max in there too, and the little bit of Stuart who i might mention later in the story too.  
Thanks for reading :)**


	2. Chapter 2

"Nice place they got here ey!" Ben's thick cockney accent taking the 'H' out of here. Smithy and his team had just made it to the back of the house and were now awaiting the signal to go in. The house almost looked as if it were falling apart. Faded red bricks stood stubbornly in the ground whilst the slates of the roof had begun to slide down the slant. The windows were boarded up with thick wooden boards whilst the boards have been removed from both the front and back doors, the wood had been in the bin out front, splintered and broke. Glass littered the floor, glinting in the dim London light. The house was due for demolition in the nest few months and had obviously been the perfect spot for resident drug addicts. Empty, rent free and on a main road, perfect position for fast deals.

"Pay attention Ben, leave the sarky comments for when your on your refs." Smithy was definitely not taking any rubbish from his officers on this case. They all knew the dangers of getting into a compromising position with a druggie. "Everyone know the plan? We get in there, nick everyone and get out again. Gloves on at all times guys."

Smithy looked round at the faces that stared back at him. Ben was looking confident, as usual, he'd been on enough of these raids now to know the drill, his baton was out and ready to use on anyone inside that house who dared get close enough to him, never seemed to think things through did Ben. Kirsty, however, looked determined. It was her first crack den in SunHill and he doubted she'd ever been on a raid this large. Her brow was pulled into a frown, a look of pure concentration plastered across her face. He knew how she hated messing up, Callum would be all over it if she did. Smithy couldn't help but wonder if there was something more behind the hostility between them, he reminded himself to check that out at the pub later. Mickey was standing just behind Kirsty, looking sure of himself. He'd been on tons of raid like this one, it was almost as if the instructions were engraved onto the inside of his eyelids. Stevie, on the other hand, looked like she'd seen a ghost and he guessed in some ways she had. She looked sickly pale and she was running her hand through her hair, ruffling her soft waves of blond. The sooner she got back to the station the better he reckoned.

Which reminded him, what was taking Neil so long to send the signal, the radio's had gone quiet since they'd split up and no signal had come through. All they could do was wait he guessed but the minutes seemed to stretch out longer than they would have had they already been in the house, arresting the addicts who wouldn't know their own names for a few hours. People who'd be so off their heads that they'd have to be literally carried out to the van that was parked across the road, hidden from view.

"You alright?" His voice seemed to shock her out of her thoughts and she jumped at the hand he placed on her shoulder. She lifted her head up, slowly, to look him in the eyes. He didn't expect her to admit that she was scared but he could feel her shoulders shaking slightly under his hand and it wasn't cold enough to be shivering, not yet anyway. He was rewarded with the usual nod of the head and falsely bright smile. A small shake of his head let her know that he didn't believe any of her act. He'd seen her after Rob Towler had left her. She'd turned up at his flat, on Christmas Day no less, in tears and they'd ended up falling asleep together on his couch. She'd awoke the next day with bags under her bloodshot eyes and her skin the same shade of white it was now, yet she'd still thought she'd needed to pretend she was OK. He'd been there when she'd realised that Kieran Wallace had been heading for the pub she was in, with a loaded Mac10. She'd made some joke about how Culter's death would mean a great loss for the community but her eyes had betrayed the fear she felt at coming so close to being another death by shooting, another statistic. He knew, from the Devlin trial, that she ran her hands through her her when she was distressed. The defence barrister had laid the accusations pretty heavily on Stevie and it had stressed her out. She had nothing to lie about because he'd never told her the truth but he reckoned she had her suspicions and she definitely didn't like her personal life being laid out in a court room for a jury to decided whether her feelings towards Smithy were platonic or not. She was a good lair though, he couldn't deny that. She had the whole station believing she was this bubbly little blond and he'd have fallen for it too if he hadn't known her any better. But he did, and she was lying yet again.

He didn't get the chance to question her about it though as his radio crackled to life.

"MOVE IN!"

**Right, so I'm starting to like this story, I have this image in my mind of how its going to plan out although I doubt Ican put it into words but I shall try my best. Hope you liked it :)  
Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Ben knocked the door down, he'd been waiting to do that all morning, jumping up and down like an excited puppy. He and Kirsty barged past an older looking guy who was passed out on the hallway floor, leaving Mickey to twist his frail body round so he could be handcuffed. Mickey's nose crinkled up in disgust as he bent down to reach behind the man, he reeked of booze and a distinct stench of vomit floated through the air reaching the noses of all officers near by. Smithy gave him a sympathetic look before shouting POLICE and following Stevie into the house.

They hadn't expected so many addicts to be in the house at the same time so they'd been unpleasantly surprised when the two groups met in the main room of the house to see over 20 addicts either injecting or passed out on the ground. Officers stormed through the house and thumped their way up the creaky wooden stairs, their footsteps echoing around the empty house. Blankets littered the floor and an old mattress lay in the corner of the room, a frail looking woman passed out on top of it, greasy hair covered her face and a needle was still sticking out of her arm.

The sounds of Neil Manson barking orders at officers sounded throughout the house. The sound of his voice reached you before the sights of officers standing above addicts as they tried to maneuver them carefully before slapping the cuffs round their wrists. Kirsty looked like she was having a particularly hard time trying to lift a large looking bloke who was leaning heavily against the bland walls, all the colour stripped from both his face and the wallpaper behind him. Dark bags stood out against his ghostly pale skin which was accentuated by the hollows of his cheeks that contrasted with his large, bulky frame. Greasy hair hung limply in front of his eyes and his mouth was hidden from view by a large grey beard. His eye's had rolled back in his head and his lips were dry and cracked. She finally managed to turn him around, his coat dragging along the grimy floor. The handcuffs made a hollow metal sound as the clicked in place, ensuring the man a one way lift to the cells of SunHill. Once he was declared fit by the FME that was, he looked like he was away with the fairies and by the puncture marks that were visible under the rolled up sleeves of his jacket it looked as if he'd been a regular with this deal for quite some time.

Radio's could be heard crackling around the room, Ben was shouting down his own for back up to attend and for the ambulance that had been on stand by to pull up in front of the house. The number of addicts heavily outweighed the number of officers and there was no way they'd be able to keep control of the situation for much longer. There was a particular woman who was screaming and shouting at the top of her lungs from inside the small kitchen at the back of the house. Nate was there trying to calm her down and restrain her however he barely managed to avoid a black eye as she swung her arms in the air, violently. That would definitely have put a stop to his tendency to stroll in late on a Saturday morning after a good night with a girl.

"Stevie, there's a basement in the house. Check it out will you. Smithy go with her!" Neil yelled from his place crouched over the woman who'd passed out in the corner. The hair had been lifted off her face to show dark purple bruises around her eyes and rings of bruises across her upper arms, she'd obviously taken a fair beating. Smithy turned round to see that Stevie had lost any of the colour she'd had before entering the house, she reminded him of a startled deer but on hearing the commands of the DI she left the bulky form of a man that she'd somehow managed to wrestle to the ground and arrest only moments ago and pivoted on her heels to stare directly at a wooden door that led to stone steps. Stone steps which led downwards.

He pushed passed her, determined to not let her have to walk down there first. He whipped out his baton, placing it in front of him as he led the descent downwards. The sounds of the raid upstairs seemed to fade away as they carried on going downwards. The soft sound of their footsteps could be heard echoing and Stevie found herself thankful that she hadn't worn heels to work this morning otherwise they'd have alerted whoever was down here within minutes. Smithy could understand why anyone who was down here wouldn't have heard the raid going on upstairs, the sounds of doors slamming and voices shouting CLEAR had now faded to background music, almost like the music played in elevators that no-one ever paid particular attention to.

"I'll go left" Her voice shook as she left him to go into the dingy room towards the left as he went into the right. There were no windows so the room was dark with only a small overhead light bulb to cast a dim glow on his surroundings. A faded threadbare carpet covered the floor but failed to smother the creaking of the rotten floorboards underneath his feet. There was an unstable looking chair in the middle of the room, a small table standing next to it with an open duffel bag on top of it. A mattress lay in the corner, this one was thicker than the one the woman upstairs had passed out on which must mean that this was the big guys rooms. Whoever was leading up this deal obviously liked to sleep in style. With a final sweep of the room he could calmly say that there was no-one down here and whatever had been stashed inside that duffel bag was now gone as it lay empty and open on top of the rickety table.

"Smithy?"'

Stevie's voice was shaking even more than it had been as she called out to him from the other room. She sounded quiet and scared, so much unlike her usual self. He just guessed it was being in this same situation again, the memories of that needle sticking out of Stuarts neck as he screamed at her to get the guy who'd done it. Stuart hadn't been able to understand why Stevie had chosen to stay and help him instead of doing her job and catching the guy. He hadn't known her well enough at the time to know she'd always chose a friend over the job and that she actually classed him as a friend. He began to make his way out of the room and towards where she'd gone in search of the large amount of cocaine.

He'd only been in the room 2 minutes before his eyes adjusted to the dark and they widened in shock horror. His jaw dropped and he just stood and stared at the helpless look on her pale face, her eyes begging him for help. Behind her stood the figure of a tall, but well built man. His long hair was pulled back into a ponytail and his beard was shaved close to his face. Despite the dirty clothes and ripped trousers he looked more normal than the other addicts they'd arrested upstairs. The only thing that gave him away was puncture marks on his arms and the sharp looking needle he held against Stevie's neck.

He pulled his radio up towards his mouth, his eyes never leaving Stevie's frightened ones as the grubby hand that was rooted in her hair pulled her upwards, her knee's having given out underneath her.

"We've got a problem Guv."

**Hi :) now that I've finished You Owe Me An Answer i should have more time to update other stories, including this one. Well that's technically how it should work but don't count on it :)  
Please review :) thanks x**


	4. Chapter 4

"I want them all out of the house! NOW!" His voice was loud enough yet when he shouted the whole room seemed to vibrate with the sound, almost as if the floor was trembling underneath him.

This man obviously didn't wait around when it came to demanding what he wanted, and Smithy bet that if his hands hadn't been busy holding a needle to Stevie's neck he'd have used his fists to get his demands, copper or not. The fear in Stevie's eye's was enough to remove any doubt he'd had over telling Neil to leave the building yet he still knew he couldn't save her alone. He could still hear Neil's voice yelling down the radio, desperate to know what the problem was.

"It's Stevie, Neil. She's being held hostage with a needle to her neck, doesn't look clean either Guv. The guy wants everyone out."

He could hear Neil's sharp intake of breath and could almost imagine the worry etched into his face. Stevie was loved in both uniform and in CID, she spent enough time taunting him both during and after work to have gained the support of uniform. They all loved to hear the small blond reduce their tough Inspector to speechlessness and she seemed to brighten their spirits with her sarcastic remarks and regular gossip updates. He knew that even though she did no paperwork and spent most of her time laughing with Mickey, she was loved greatly in CID, even Neil had instantly taken a shine to the bright young woman. And he knew that, through the radio's, everyone of them could hear his glum message.

"Is she in serious danger Smithy?"

He swept his eyes over her, trying to ignore the frightened and vulnerable look in her eyes and the trembling. She had a large cut to the cheekbone, blood was rolling down her face, almost replacing the tears that would have been overflowing from her eyes had had this been anyone other than the stubborn DS. Her wrist looked slightly bruised, he couldn't be sure in the dim lighting but it looked as if the grimy hand that was rooted in her short hair was what was keeping her standing. She looked ready to collapse. He could see why, the needle that had started out a good few inches away had drawn closer to the pale skin on her neck, the point of the sharp instrument only millimetres away from piercing her skin and infecting her. As if to prove he was serious about hurting her, the guy moved the needle so that it was held, poised and ready, over the base of her neck. The place where her pulse beat erratically.

"Yes Guv, she is." Smithy was quick to tell Neil, he couldn't risk letting her be hurt right in front of his eyes, especially when he had known how many memories this had dragged to the surface. So, just this once, he let his heart override his professional judgement "This guy's serious. I think we should do as he says"

" Right, I'll get everyone out. I want you out too Smithy!"

The sound of Neil's voice ordering everyone out as soon as possible could be heard overhead. Shuffling sounds were quick to replace the loud voice as the rest of the addicts were dragged outside, cuffed or not. Stevie was looking paler than ever as she realised that they'd be left alone in the house with only her life keeping them here.

"You leave too!" The guy didn't seem to mind that the whole house could hear his every word through the radio's, or maybe he didn't realise Smithy's hand was still gripping the electronic device. Smithy's stomach dropped at the thought of leaving Stevie here with this guy. He knew that he'd be needed outside to show the armed response unit the layout yet the idea of leaving the trembling frame of the small DS alone in the dark with only the sharp tip of a needle pressed to her neck to keep her conscious wasn't an option for him.

Gina would kill him for what he was about to do.

"I'm staying Guv"

He began stripping his belt of all the usual policing weapons. His baton, spray and handcuffs made clinking sounds as they hit the stone floors of the basement. The guy behind Stevie seemed to accept the determination that was laced through the Inspectors voice as he simply nodded to the rest of the belt, signalling it all had to go if he wanted to stay, including the radio.

"Smithy, get out of there now! That's a direct order from the Superintendent! I'm warning you now Smithy, disobey this and Jack won't be welcoming you back to SunHill!"

He loosed his grip on the radio, dismayed by the shouting coming from the other end. Holding the radio out in front of him, at arms length, he pondered on the thought of not having a job to go to in the morning. Was this worth losing his team over? He could see Callum's disapproving gaze, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion as he wondered why he'd done it. Jo would just laugh at him, that knowing glint in her eyes. She'd have to explain it to Callum over a pint at his leaving do. He'd tell Gina over the phone, he was less likely to lose his life that way. He knew she'd be mad. She'd been overjoyed when he'd finally made it to Inspector, taunting him over how long it had taken him. Granted he got out of this alive of course. Was this worth it?

The radio made a loud crashing noise as his fingers loosened the grip around the device, letting it fall to the floor at his feet.

"Sorry Neil. I'm not leaving her alone"

**Let me know what you guys think :) Thankyouu**


	5. Chapter 5

"Sorry Neil. I'm not leaving her alone"

Smithy's voice echoed from the small radio clutched tightly in Neil Manson's hands, his knuckles slowly turning white as he gripped the device. Whether it was due to worry or to anger was unknown to the officers that surrounded him, each of them listening to the final and stubborn tone of their Inspectors voice, each of them worried about the small DS.

"He's got to be kidding. Right?" Ben was the first one to gather his thoughts and was brave enough to voice his opinion, breaking the silence that had settled throughout the group who had huddled around the DI with baited breath awaiting news on their colleges.

"Course he's not! Smithy's the most dedicated copper I've ever met and the jobs his life. But It's Stevie and there was never any competition between the two. He'd always chose her." Mickey was gobsmacked that Smithy would lose his job over this but he knew that given the chance to re-make his decision he's make the same one and in Mickeys mind it had been the right one. Neil was shaking his head sadly muttering words to himself, probably berating himself to not noticing how dangerously close the pair had become after the undercover op and the Devlin case.. Feelings always complicated things like this. Mickey opened his mouth to disagree with the DI but was interrupted by the loud crashing sound of metal hitting wood being emitted from Neil's radio. Silence enveloped the group again with only the wailing of sirens in the background to remind them they had a job to do.

Neil was the first to stalk off in the opposite direction, pulling out his phone as he went, most likely to phone Meadows who was back at the station waiting for an update. He certainly wouldn't be happy to hear he'd be finding a new Inspector and they all knew he'd have a tough job finding one as dedicated and jolly as Smithy. Jo was next to follow, barking orders at Kirsty, Ben and Nate to set up a cordon around the area, keeping the public away from the area, before pulling out her own phone to ring Roger and see how he was doing with the van load of addicts he'd brought back to SunHill.

"Once we get him out of this Smithy better beg for his job back. I ain't having Stone as Inspector" Nate whined helplessly as he eyed the building his Inspector had refused to evacuate. "Smithy's never been in trouble with Meadows before so surely he'd get off with a caution?"

"Smithy has a tendency to find a loophole in things like this. I just hope Stevie's OK." Kirsty could be heard comforting him as they walked away, heading in the direction of Ben's area car.

Max was quick to leave once CO19 had arrived, the sirens blaring as they pulled up in police vans. Mickey was left leaning against the bonnet of Neil's car with a plan of the house spread out in front of him and his own radio being used as a paperweight. Blazing red pen marks signalled the blind spots in the house, places they didn't know the layout of, the basement where both Smithy and Stevie were being the major one.

Left alone and unable to do anything to help until CO19 had been updated on the situation Mickey settled for raking his eyes over the plan of the house. They'd assumed that the pair were still being held in the basement, where Neil had sent them to scout out, but they had no way of knowing whether the guy that was holding them had moved them to another part of the house. He didn't see what CO19 could do to get them out though, they couldn't exactly go in all guns blazing and hope that whoever they opened fire on was the right person. The plan of the house showed the basement as having only one large room, however they'd been informed by the authorities, who'd handed over the plan, that work had been done on both the downstairs floor and the basement although they had no idea what had been done. This had been before the house had been transformed into the grimy squat standing stubbornly in front of him.

He couldn't help but let his mind wander from the angry red marks on the plan to the pair being held somewhere in the house. How scared was she? She was like his little sister and the thought of her being held against her will, in the same position as she'd been witness to all those years ago, pained him. Anyone who knew her could tell you that she'd have stuck to her usual sarcastic and witty persona. They'd tell you that she'd probably be talking a mile a minute about one of her drunken nights at their local, probably doing his nut in, but that'd only be after berating Smithy on how this wasn't the stone age and that she could look after herself. She'd tell him he was an ejit for putting his job at risk because of her and that she'd buy him a pint when they got out of this. Anyone who knew her would tell you that because they'd never seen her scared, never seen her with her guard down. He doubted even Smithy had seen her like that so he was due for a shock but Mickey had seen it before. The night after the Devlin case, after she'd been cruelly gruelled over her relationship with the then sergeant. He could almost imagine the fear in her eyes and the tears she'd refuse to let fall, she was just as stubborn as the house standing before him. Granted she'd still put on a facade, telling Smithy he should leave for the sake of his job, letting whoever had her know that she wasn't afraid no matter how hard she was trembling.

He knew that Smithy would see that, his refusal to leave the building had proved just that. He saw through the mask.

"How many coppers are out there?"

Mickey jumped out of his skin as he gaped at the gravely voice that was sounding from the radio he'd been using as a paperweight.

"Guv! I think you need to hear this!" He bellowed across the street to where the DI had joined Max by the C019 vans. Both dropped the conversation they were having with the armed officers to jog across the road towards the parked car, a hopeful expression plastered across the DI's face as he desperatly hoped it was good news.

"8? maybe. Maybe armed officers. Doesn't matter really, they can't exactly shoot you when you've got an officer shielding your front, an injured officer too. Not to mention we're in one of two rooms in this basement, they'd have to check the right one first. There's no windows down here and you've blocked the doorway with that stupid table. You've baracded us in"

Smithy's voice was almost like music to Jo as she joined the group to hear the last of his words, a relieved look passing over her face despite the hopelessness of the situation they were in. Mickey had stiffened at the mention of an injured officer, Stevie. His mind went into overtime as he contemplated how hurt she could be. If it was serious Smithy would have sounded more urgent in getting his information across, but blood loss was never good in situations like this when it could take hours to get the victim seen to.

"Jo, Let everyone know we're changing the radio's airwaves! Smithy's obviously left his radio on on purpose but we have no idea whether he can hear us or not and we don't want this guy hearing our plans. Max I want you to liaise with CO19, let them know what we've just heard and see if their Sergeant can think of a suitable plan. I want this whole house secured, back and front. And i want Smithy's radio tracked back at the station, get Stone on it! I don't want them moving about the house without our knowledge." Neil Manson had gone into raid mode and was barking orders left right and centre as the officers surrounding him responded in a flurry of activity. Mickey found himself rooted to the ground as he contemplated how exactly they were going to get the pair out, without Stevie being injected with a potentially fatal needle. Then again they'd managed to get the information they'd needed when all hope had seemed lost.

"Only Smithy could get fired while feeding us information!"

**A/N I kind of like this one :) I didn't intend for it to end up in Mickey's POV but it kind of did in parts bay oh well :)  
Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

"Jo, let Max know we're going in in 10!"

The last 15 minutes or so had been hectic, ever since Smithy's information had come through every officer available had been called down to the crack house on Braxton Street, the road was now swarming with armed officers and a mix of uniformed officers as well as CID. Voices were shouting at each other from across the pavement, orders for the armed unit that she didn't understand and the standard codes that were used over the radios crackled in the air. Max had been in the midst of the operations planning with the sergeant of the armed unit whilst Mickey had been guarding the only radio on Smithy's wavelength diligently, waiting impatiently for any more information that he could get. Jo herself had been passing the time by ordering her team around and although Nate was usually childish about being ordered around he followed each and every command with a silent maturity which only helped to emphasis the seriousness of the situation.

Speedily making her way towards Max who looked to be, yet again, going over the plan of action, Jo looked back towards the house. There was no sign of life inside, the windows were empty and where there had, only half an hour ago, been smoke curling towards the sky in an attempt to join the heavens there was now only an eerie darkness that seemed to have crept passed the unhinged wooden door and was now pushing at the barriers of the property's borders.

"Max, Move! Manson wants us in there in 10!" there was no point wasting time with politeness she reminded herself as the guilt gnawed at her for being so rude but the look on his face told her that he understood and though Max had never been the most polite or socially comfortable, she knew that he wanted their feisty DS back just as much as Jo, who'd been her first friend at Sun Hill, did too.

"Ready?" Max called to the armed sergeant who replied with a sharp nod before instructing his troops to make their way to their positions and to await his orders. The team dispersed with a machine like efficiency and Jo watched as they began to creep around the side of the derelict house, their footsteps silent and their guns lifted at the ready.

She and Max made their way back over to the DI who'd taken refuge next to Mickey, intently staring at the radio that had given them such hope, the small machine was silent however, even the usual crackling was absent, and Jo couldn't help but wonder whether Smithy's plan had been foiled and what fate awaited her friends.

Mickey raised his head as the pair neared though the look on his face made Jo wish he'd keep staring at the radio. The usual cheery smirk had been replaced by a thin line of a frown and a pair of anguished, but sharp none the less, eyes whose gaze was immediately fixed on Max.

"If you mess this up… If she doesn't come out…Max I will make sure you regret it, I can promise you that!"

"I got it Mickey; I'm not going to do that to her…I couldn't"

Max was gone again before Mickey could even reply and the heavy weight of Neil's hand coming to rest on his shoulder did little to distract him from the genuine look, maybe one of the only genuine looks they got from him, that had spread across his face.

"Right, we haven't got any more time to waste. We don't know whether that needles clean or not and we don't want to have to find out the hard way." The rest of the uniform team had gathered around them and none of them could escape the feeling that they'd done this exact same thing this morning. They'd done a brief earlier and that should have been it, a simple drugs raid based on good information, how hard could it be? Had they been wrong or what. "There's an ambulance on standby. I know we're all hoping we won't need it but Smithy's told us that she's injured, we don't know how badly but I want Stevie out of there as soon as possible. I want Mickey to go straight for Stevie once she's been released and the rest of you I want supporting the armed response unit and gathering evidence once the place has been given the go ahead. I want no heroics! All clear?"

Several heads around nodded solemnly and a few glanced towards the house in nervousness. Ben and Nate were both looking down at Kristy who seemed fairy nervous, she was relatively new and the fact that she'd stayed as calm as she had so far had astounded Jo. She watched as the boys gave each other a loaded look but she didn't have the heart to reprimand them for not listening to the DI and for being more interested in the actions of someone else and not themselves. As the group separate into different groups, an eve number of armed and uniformed officers taking each entrance, Jo held back, giving Mickey's hand a small squeeze before slipping away to join her team.

The thought of having been in the same situation not only earlier this morning but with Stuart a few years back gave Jo a nasty feeling inside, a stomach churning sense of Deja-vu overwhelmed her and she prayed to God that Stevie's situation didn't turn out as Stuarts had. She had little time to ponder the thought though as the orders to enter came through the radios that they'd turned down low and silently, tey began their descent towards the basement.

**Sorry for the lack of updating, lifes been a bit all over the place with exams and danicng and whatnot. Who knew sixth form could be so hectic hey! Thanks for reading, I'll do my best to keep up but I can't promise anything (:**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Sorry for the delay guys, lifes a bit hectic at the moment. The chances are this chapter would have been a ot later if it wasnt for JoJo2604 so thank you for being awesome :D Sorry about any mistakes (:**_

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"Keep your eyes on me Stevie!" he coaxed her. He could see her trying to calculate the easiest escape route out of here, the police officer taking over and trying to figure out how to get this guy arrested rather than think about how to get herself of danger, her eyes were constantly flitting back between the table that barricade the door and the pile of his police gear on the floor. There wasn't a way to get to his gear without getting her hurt though, he'd thought about that already and the idea of that needle going anywhere near her skin just made him feel sick, the table at least looked shaky, like it could be easily fought through with enough power. There was nothing else in the room apart from the pen briefcase in the farthest corner from them, money overflowed from inside only proving Smithy's theory that the delivery they'd been waiting for hadn't arrived. They were in this mess for nothing.

The needle was still poised above the base of Stevie's neck, the guy's hand shook slightly multiplying the chances of it piercing her skin by accident, they were running out of time.

Her skin was deathly pale, all of her colour completely drained apart from the steady stream of blood that stained her cheek, trailing down her neck and underneath the collar of her blouse. Anyone else would have fainted by now, from fear or pain, but he could see her fighting it, fighting to stay conscious. He could see it in the set of her shoulder which, although were shaking slightly, took a stance of defiance, her head held high instead of hanging in fear. Typical Stevie.

"Blondie's doing just fine" Smithy hadn't bothered trying to figure out who this guy was, he didn't recognise him form any of the head shots they'd been looking only half an hour ago and he wasn't planning on negotiating, just getting her out of there as soon as he could. "Now… how're you going to get me out of here?" Smithy wasn't sure why that came as a shock to him; of course the guy was going to want a way out! "Or Blondie here might not survive much longer"

Her eyes went wide in fear, a small and uncharacteristic whimper leaving her mouth almost involuntary. The needle had inched slightly closer to her neck and the hand that was tangled in her hair, pulling her upwards, tightened.

"The only way out is through the door. You know that as well as I do" He was grateful his voice came out strong, hopefully it'd reassure Stevie that they'd get out of this. God knows they'd been through enough together for her to always know he'd get them out of whatever they'd gotten stuck in. "You also know that once you go out there you'll be arrested"

"Not if Blondie comes with me." The guy sneered at Smithy, his head nodding in the direction of the table, an indication that he wanted smithy to move it out of the way. He bit his tongue to stop the sarcastic remark from slipping through his lips, chiding himself for being carless. "Move the table boy or she won't see outside"

Sighing, he moved to push the table out of the way. A flicker of movement caught his eye however as he bent down to push the table away, a flash of light coming from outside the door and whatever spark of hope he'd held on to ignited.

"Want me to open the door for you while I'm at it?" he did nothing to curb the sarcasm that was laced in his voice this time, his eyes constantly searching through the cracks in the door for something else to keep them going until he could at least get Stevie outside.

The guy grunted in response, something Smithy took as a yes, and so he slowly pulled the heavy wooden door open, getting a glimpse of the armed officers that waited further down the corridor. His heart soared, so much so that he forgot that Stevie was still back inside the room with a guy and a needle that was way too close for comfort.

A scream brought him back to her though; turning sharply to watch her knees give way underneath her and her body crashed, gracefully, to the floor, the hand that had been knotted in her hair was now grabbing his stomach as he keeled over in pain himself.

Someone called for the armed officers to come quickly, he soon realised it was his own voice shouting out for help as he watched in morbid fascination as a dark pool of scarlet liquid spread from underneath the head of blonde curls. His feet were frozen, his limbs refusing to move towards her until the sound of feet pounding down the hallway broke his out of his stupor.

He dropped to his knees next to her body, not caring that his uniform would be covered in her blood but stuck on the fact that there was too much blood. Smithy gently rolled her onto her back, her limp form complying with his hands way too easily. The sight of the large cut that lined her forehead made him cringe, not enough for his hands to leave her though.

"HANDS IN THE AIR"

Smithy had been too dazed to notice the swarm of police officers that entered the room, each with a gun pointed directly at the guy's chest and he was ashamed to admit that if he'd been the one holding it he'd have fired it, right into the base of his neck. The air was filled with the shouts of officers and Neil's commands to drop the needle that was still clutched in his hands.

In the flurry of action, Smithy didn't notice someone else dropped to their knees beside him, their knees making an awful squelching sound in the pool of blood. Mickey's fingers swept deftly to her pulse point, his fingers steady and sure compared the Smithy's own shaking hands that were pushing her hair back from her face.

"We need to get her out of here Smithy; she'll ok as long as we can get her out"

Despite Mickey's reassurances, Smithy himself wasn't so sure, she looked so still, so cold. She was making no noise and that was enough to scare him, to make him think about all the things he had yet to say to her. Mickey was right though, they need to get her out of here.

With a nod to the DC, he gently slipped his hands underneath her way too still form, lifting her small frame from the ground with ease before turning towards the door.

He'd just turned around, Mickey by his side, as the guy who'd caused such a simple raid to go wrong lifted the needle to his own neck, wasting no time in injecting himself. Smithy watched in horror as what he'd thought was an empty syringe injected some form of cloudy liquid into the guys veins, his body crumpling in on itself and dropping to the floor, a sickening crack echoed around the room as his head hit the ground as Stevie's had only moments ago.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Ok guys, so this chapters really short because its just to fill in the gaps really. The next chapter should be longer but until then i leave you with this...**_

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"How is she?"

Mickey's voice breaks the silence he's been sitting in for nearly 3 hours, tucked away in the corner of the hospitals canteen, hands clutching a mug of coffee that's gone cold and avoiding the wrath of both Neil and Jack. He already knows he's been dismissed but to hear it from their mouths might just be the last straw after a very long day and he's not sure how much more he can take. He cant seem to make himself leave however, his feet refuse to move in the direction of the entrance almost in the same way he couldn't leave her when she had a needle poised over the thin skin of her throat.

"She still hasn't woken up" he'd been getting regular updates from a nurse who felt sorry for him. "What about this guy then, who was he?"

"James Monroe, a big time dealer by the looks of things. Manchester police have been after him for a while apparently"

"So Manson will be able to get something out of him right?"

"He was pronounced dead at the scene Smithy." Mickey sighed. Disappointed was heavy in the air, although Smithy had watched the guy drop to the floor he'd been praying that he'd survive it just so they could lock him up. "There was something in the syringe, some kind of poison. Of course they won't know for sure what it was until the test reports come back"

"It could have been her"

"But it wasn't. She's ok Smithy and that's because of you mate." Mickeys hand came to rest heavily on his shoulder in an attempt at comforting him but he both knew they were thinking the same thing. It could have so easily been her lying on that floor. "Not that that's going to help you with Neil who's still looking for you Y'know!"

"I couldn't just…I couldn't leave her there. She was scared, I wasn't going to…I couldn't leave her alone. After that undercover operation I promised I'd always get her out of situation like these…instead we ended up walking straight into one I couldn't save her from… I just…"

"You love her" Smithy was aware of the fact that this was the part where he was meant to vehemently shake his head and disagree with Mickeys outrageous accusation, he just didn't have the energy to lie to himself any more.

"Yeah…I guess I do"

The two men sat in silence, Mickey's hand still resting on his shoulder as he leaned into the companionship, relief flooding his veins at having finally been able to admit his feelings to someone, even if it was the wrong person.

"Officer Smith?" His head shot up at the tentative voice of the young nurse he'd been getting updates from. She was small and slim, shy looking, someone who'd easily taken to a friendly face despite the blood still smeared across his uniform. He was just wearing his white shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and trousers, the knees of which were smeared in her blood. His police gear was still lying on the stone floor of the room back at the Crack den and it saddened him to think he'd never see it again, never see his police badge again. "She's awake"

His heart soared then. Logically he'd known she'd wake up eventually, the wound had probably looked a lot worse than it was what with all the blood but his over active imagination had run wild on him and he'd been imagining the worst.

"Can I…" his voice wavered, unsure of himself and any right he had to see her after he'd walked her into that trap.

"Can we see her?" Mickey asked for him, his face turned up to stare at the nurse who was gazing at him unabashedly.

"S-sure" she stammered before hurrying off in the direction Smithy assumed she'd come from, only turning to look back at Mickey who was now on his feet and pulling Smithy up with him.

"Come on mate, let's go see how our girl's holding up"


	9. Chapter 9

"Don't think I've ever seen her this quiet" Mickey chuckled in a half-hearted attempt at lightening the tension that lay thick in the air. He was telling the truth too though. They'd just been showed into her room and the silence was the first thing that hit him. Stevie was fun and laughter, this room, however, was filled with the steady beating of the machine attached her heart, the only thing reminding him of her stubbornness even if the sound did cut through the silence painfully.

The next thing to hit him was how tiny she looked in that bed, it was almost like a physical punch to his stomach to see her lying there, swamped by more machines and wires than he ever wanted to see in his life. Her skin was a stark white against the dark blue of the hospital gown that drowned her small frame, all colour having drained from her face except for the dark and ugly bruises that tainted her skin and the angry red gash that marked her forehead. She'd never looked so breakable.

Of course the eyes that snapped open to fix on his said otherwise.

"Take that back Webb or I'll be using one of these damn wires to strangle you!" she snapped as he pushed herself up into a sitting position, leaning heavily against the beds headboard. Her voice was croaky, like she'd had the breath taken from her lungs and was still trying to regain the ability that kept her alive, and she looked like she hadn't slept in a month but he couldn't help the grin that spread across his face as he threw himself on her. "Careful" she groaned, trying and failing to sound annoyed at the blonde detective. Instead she wrapped her arms round him, careful of the wires, and hid her face in the crook of his neck, attempting to fight the shudders that wracked her body and the tears that threatened to overflow.

"Hey…shhh" Mickeys hands pushed her untameable hair back of her face, mindful of the stitches in her skin, as he held her tight. "Don't ever…ever do that me again. You hear me Stevie?" He didn't expect his voice to catch and didn't realise his hands were shaking. "You scared the life outta me!"

"That explains the 3 new grey hairs" she giggled from underneath him although the laugh sounded choked, forced somehow. That's when he noticed that Smithy was still standing stiffly in the doorway; his hands fisted so much so that his knuckled were turning white.

"Such a brat" he breathed, his arms squeezing her tight, as if reassuring himself that she was really ok, before he let her go, leaning towards her ears to whisper "I'll give you some time with tall, dark and broody" he winked subtly at her before announcing he was going to find some decent coffee, promising to bring her something other than the crap they were serving in the hospital.

The door slammed shut behind him, leaving Stevie and Smithy alone.

"Hey" she murmured, her eyes dropping to watch her hands as she fiddled with the bed sheets nervously, waiting patiently for the outburst she knew had to be coming. She'd gotten him fired after all. Not on purpose of course but he'd clearly spotted her fear at before they'd even entered the building, she hadn't been good enough at hiding her weakness. What had she been expecting? That sharp protective instinct that had made him stay with her was built into him, it was a bIg part of who he was and it had cost him his entire career. She heard him sigh heavily as he moved across the room to drop his body into the chair next to the head of her bed. Her eyes shut tight in expectation of a voice filled with regret.

"I'm so sorry Stevie"

Her head shot up at the despondent sound of his voice, her blonde curls bouncing around her face as she watched as the air rushed out of him and his shoulders slump in defeat. Definitely not what she'd been expecting. She hadn't calculated his tendency to take the weight of the world on his shoulders into his logical reaction, forgotten that he blamed himself for things which he had no control upon and because of this she let him carry on talking, sensing his need to get whatever this was off his chest.

"I promised I'd always be there and I…I let you walk into a trap. If he'd…if you…" his voice broken and his head dropped, shame evident in the slump of his shoulders and the way he avoided looking at her battered body.

"I'm a cop Smithy, not a china doll." She grinned in his direction, an attempt to lighten the tension that had settled around her like a lead weight, suffocating her until she couldn't help but wish Mickey hadn't left them alone, something she'd never had thought before today. "I don't need protecting. Especially not when it gets you fired!"

"Yes because I'm obviously imagining the hospital bed you're lying in."

The snarky remark made her smile, the first genuine smile she'd had since before the raid. Sarcastic Smithy meant that he was getting back to normal, his tone not as despondent as it had been. She wasn't fooled though, didn't even consider that he believed her fully. On the other hand she was still furious that he'd laid his entire career on the line for her. When she'd listened to Neil's ultimatum she'd been convinced he'd do the intelligent thing, whatever had made her think that she didn't know. Anger had blurred her vision then, at Neil, at Smithy, at herself. She couldn't believe she'd pushed him to that but that was a fight she'd be picking with him later on when she had the full use of her body. He'd be black and blue by the time she finished with him.

"It could have been anyone that walked into that room; you'd be beating yourself up about it no matter who it happened to."

"No" he shook his head slightly, his eyes having finally met hers. "No I wouldn't be"

The air rushed out of her and, if the frantic beeping of the machine attached to her was anything to go by, her heart seemed to beat double time. No longer aware of the deep aching in her bones or the fact that even her hair seemed to hurt, she just stared at him, waiting for him to carry on, aware that his next words could possibly break her heart.

Her eyes dropped to watch as he grasped the hand closest to him between his own, her other having curled into a fist that was tangled with the sheets.

"I was so scared Stevie" he admitted. Sensing that he needed to get this off his chest, she stopped herself from cutting him and telling him exactly how foolish she thought he was. "You could have died and all I could think was that you didn't know. I've been such… a coward…when it comes to you. "

He paused to push his hand through his already unruly hair and his leg bounced in what she assumed to be nerves, a gesture that spoke to her more than anything he'd said so far. Calm and collected Dale Smith was nervous, terrifyingly nervous.

"God, why is this so hard! The thing is Stevie…right…the thing is…."

He didn't get a chance to follow through as Neil burst through the door, Mickey and Terry hot on his heels looking very sheepish.

"Smithy. Out!" Neil ordered his tone harsh and demanding.

Shooting an apologetic look her way, he pushed himself out of the chair just as Callum's large frame blocked the door way, Nate and Ben poking their heads over his shoulders. Nate ducked under Callum's arm, winking at her, as he made his way over to land next to her on the bed.

"Had to be you, didn't it?" he smirked down at her, his arm wrapped tight around her shoulders.

Ben was arguing with Stone who remained just inside the door, their voices raised and Ben's arms flailing about as he tried to get through to her. Nate was trying to make jokes that didn't register in her head and Neil was still glaring at Smithy, waiting impatiently for the Sergeant to leave the room.

"Smithy" Neil warned "Don't make me pull rank"

"Fine" The sound was clipped, formal, a sound she hated.

With that he left the room though, just as Grace and Jo pushed passed Stone and Ben and all of a sudden her room was filled with people, none of whom were the guy she wanted.

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**_Thanks for reading guys (:_**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys, so here's the next chapter for this one, hope its not too shabby :P I'm planning only one having one more chapter to this story, two at a push maybe but yeah...It will be finished eventually! Thank you for reading :)**

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His hands were shaking. In anger or in fear, it didn't matter because his hands were shaking and they never shook. He was always steady and calm, the epitome of professionalism and yet somehow that detachment had failed him and his career was about to be over. And still, he couldn't bring himself to regret it.

Rather than staring at the hands that were still shaking, he clenched them into fists, closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the hospital wall. He refused to be father from Stevie than necessary which is why he was sitting in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs that filled the waiting room that was a few feet away from Stevie's room.

His head was a mess, he couldn't help but remember how hopeless he'd been after leaving the army and how ecstatic he was when the police force accepted him, what was he supposed to do now? Being fired from the police wasn't likely to make a good reference and, if he was honest with himself, his job was his life, more so than the army maybe in that being part of the police hadn't plagued him with nightmares and memories that gave way to tears. Stevie was ok though, he gotten her out of there, just not in time to spare her any hurt. He'd lost his job and broken his word all in one day and all of a sudden it was like he couldn't breathe. The air rushed out of his lungs and images of Stevie hurt flashed through his mind, squeezing his eyes only served to brighten the images, make the shade of her blood even more vivid than the dark red he knew had been painted across her face. A dark red he imagined coating his hands.

Smithy was so wrapped up in his thoughts and focusing on gasping for air without alerting any of the nurses walking by, that he missed the sound of footsteps approaching him.

"The DI says leave and you move 10 feet away. Typical" Callum Stone sighed as he dropped his large frame into a chair next to Smithy's. "Are you trying to piss him off?"

"I just can't leave her"

"Yeah, figured that one out mate. Hell, half the stations figured that out after this morning's show. What were you thinking!? You almost got yourself killed!" Never mind trying to piss the DI off further, it seemed as if Stone was already angry at him, and maybe he was although the hand that landed heavily on Smithy's shoulder a second after the words had left him mouth seemed to prove otherwise. It was awkward and tense and all Callum could say was "We'll get your job back" A promise that couldn't be kept but Smithy appreciated the support; at least someone was on his side.

"What're they talking about in there?" Smithy nodded his head towards the room where Neil, Ben, Nate, Jo and Grace were still gathered in.

"Just taking her statement. Doubt they'll be long though, she's unfocused, tired probably"

"I need to get back in there!"

Callum shook his head, almost as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing, and tried to restrain himself from laughing at the absurdity of that request.

"No way are you getting back in there Smithy, I wasn't kidding when I told you the DI was pissed y'know!"

Smithy found he had to restrain himself from just walking straight back into her room, no matter what the DI had said but he knew Callum was right, it may have been a difficult truth to digest and he really didn't agree with it but he knew, deep down, that he couldn't just go marching back into the room. He'd saved her and now he needed to find a way to save his career although that plan was soon put to an end.

"He's not the only one that's pissed Inspector Smith"

Stone mumbled a few curse words under his breath, almost like he was just as annoyed that they hadn't figured a way out before it had come to this. Smithy on the other hand stayed silent as he rose to his feet to face Jack Meadow, the guy who was going to fire him.

"What were you thinking!? You compromised a major operation due to personal feelings; you took up valuable resources trying to discover information that you could have given us had you followed instructions. You put both your own life and the life of DS Moss at risk and in turn managed to knowingly destroy your career. I can't have an Inspector who won't follow orders in life threatening situations, who doesn't put the needs of the team before his own personal issues. I should fire you right here and now." Jack breathed, his face an unnatural shade of red as he yelled at Smithy who could only stand there and stare at him. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't, just one reason why I should understand what you did!"

This was the part where he should apologise and promise it never happen again. He should say he made a mistake and that he had learnt his lesson. He intended to say all those things because it would never happen again and he was sorry that he'd wasted resources and endangered lives, God he was sorry, but he couldn't admit to having made a mistake, the words just got stuck in his throat. All he could see in his head was Stevie's small form shaking in the grip of a madman, he imagined what it'd have been like if he hadn't been there. She'd spent the entire time staying focused on him, would she have panicked without him to look at, to focus on? Would she have given into the pain much earlier if she hadn't been stubbornly brave just for his sake? Would she have survived at all?

He could have argued that in the moment Stevie became a hostage she also became a member of the public and his duty was to protect the public. He could have argued that he translated valuable information through the radio he was well aware had been switched on when he'd dropped it to the floor. He could have argued that Stevie herself had done the same thing when Stuart Turner when they'd been put in the same situation; she'd chosen to stay with a collage, a friend, rather than leave him injured. He could have argued that Mickey would have done the exact same thing, as he was sure Terry would, and even Stone.

"I couldn't leave her"

That's all he had. None of the other reasons mattered because the truth of it was he'd always been half in love with her and seeing her, eyes wide with fright and fighting to maintain control, almost like she hadn't expected anyone else to save her, had pushed him over the edge. He was falling, and flailing desperately for something to cling to because falling in love wasn't something he did, but in the end none of it matter because he'd do the same thing again given the choice, whether his career depended on it or not.

"Seriously?" Callum muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes in expression of how moronic he thought Smithy was. It was clear Stone thought he should have voiced all those other arguments, arguments that may have kept him his job.

He'd never been a liar though.

"Well damn, Smithy! I thought you'd have given me something better than that" Clearly everyone had been expecting more than he could give today. Jack was running his hand through his thinning hair, his eyes down cast and his brow knit together in thought. "I'm putting you on probation. You run everything through either me or Neil and you work extensively with Sergeant Stone. And for God's sake Smithy, tell her how you feel!" Jack huffed before turning and stalking away, pulling out his phone and dialing the station no doubt.

Stunned, Smithy didn't register the fact that Callum had turned to pull him into a hug until he felt the claps on the back and the congratulations sounding in his ears.

"I'm not fired?" he stuttered, his mind refusing to grasp the fact that his whole life hadn't been turned upside down like he'd planned. Suddenly he'd been handed back his job, granted years at Sun Hill Station and a chance to talk to Stevie without Neil hassling him, although he was sure there were plenty more lectures to come.

Suddenly he had a future again.


End file.
